Paddle Steamer Resources by
Tramscape
D.E.P.V.
Talisman
Revolutionary
direct drive diesel paddle vessel
Talisman
in the early 1960a approching Rothesay - Photo by Alexander Bain by kind courtesy
of Donald Bain
Built in 1935 by A & J Inglis,
Pointhouse, Glasgow, Scotland for the London & North Eastern
Railway
Diesel-electric direct drive Paddle Steamer
Dimensions : 215 ft x 27 ft 8 in
544 Gross Registered Tonnes
Employed on year-round
runs from Craigendoran to Rothesay and the Kyles of Bute
Revolutionary engines with 4 diesels attached to electric motor gave
excellent fuel economy
War service as HMS Aristocrat included acting as a HQ ship at the
Normandy landings
Ownership passed to the BTC and later to the Caledonian Steam Packet
Co Ltd
Unreliability of the engines led to significant problems and eventual
withdrawal in 1953
The withdrawal in 1953 of the slow PS Marchioness of Lorne led to a
reprieve and re-engining
Talisman allocated to the Wemyss Bay - Largs - Millport ferry route,
on which she was a success
Characterised by the din and vibration of her diesels but otherwise a
popular vessel
Withdrawn after the 1966 season
Sold for scrap and broken up in 1967 by W H Arnott, Young & Co at
Dalmuir,
Scotland
Bilbiography
Talisman
: The Solitary Crusader
By Alan Brown
Published by Aggregate Publications, Johnstone, Scotland in 1980
Detailed story of this highly unusual and interesting
vessel
Return
to
Caledonian
Steam Packet Co
BTC
London & North Eastern Railway
(LNER)
Clyde Steamers of the 1930s
British Steamer
Index
Duchess to Juno : The Ultimate
Fleet